Over the past ten months, Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door Buddhist Practice Center in Singapore, under the guidance of Buddhist Master Jun Hong Lu, has been distributing free vegetarian food to low-income families around Lengkok Bahru district in Redhill. The most recent endeavor was on October 21, 2018, and volunteers were positively buzzing with excitement. Nearly 50 volunteers got involved and 900 packages of healthy vegetarian foods were distributed to 350 households for free.

Guan Yin Citta Singapore has been reaching out to the elderly with kindness by working the communities. The charity program aims to promote a vegetarian life style and support poor families by providing them with vegetarian foods. Master Jun Hong Lu, the founder of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, is a staunch advocate for vegetarianism as it can cultivate one’s compassion and enhance physical well-being. As the Guan Yin Citta Buddhist Practice Center in Singapore is close to the Redhill area, it gives the Buddhist charity a great opportunity to serve the community and spread Master Lu’s Buddhist teachings in the district.

Residents that received complimentary packages of vegetarian foods expressed their gratitude to volunteers for their continuous support for the community. Especially for the elderly who were eager to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle but limited by their physical mobility, delivering food to their doors solved the problem. Meanwhile, the constant care of the volunteers warmed their hearts and gave them spiritual sustenance. With the genuine caring and assistance, volunteers handed out Buddhist learning materials and Master Jun Hong Lu’s books to the residents for the benefit of their spiritual well-being.

Guan Yin Citta Buddhist Practice Center in Singapore offers daily free vegetarian buffet with a wide selection of dishes. Every year before the Dharma Talk by Master Jun Hong Lu in May and the large-scale Vegetarian Tasting Event in November, the volunteers distribute flyers to promote Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door and raise the awareness of Buddhist philosophy in the community.

The “Free Vegetarian Meals” program is a practice of giving. Every volunteer takes pride in being part of such a meaningful activity. It not only sows the seed of compassion but also strengthens the trust between volunteers and community members. For the past few months, the volunteers have got to know many local residents. These selfless volunteers are known as the ‘red shirt people’ in the community. Some of the volunteers even bring their children with them to nurture their sense of community and giving. When interviewed, one of the young participants eagerly said, “I love seeing the smiles on their faces. It is only through events like this that we realize how true cliché can be—giving really is better than receiving!”

The altruistic and selfless acts of volunteers come from their aspiration for benefiting others. During these charity activities, they truly apply Buddhist teachings to everyday lives. They put Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhist teachings into practice—to be selfless and put the well-being of others above oneself. That is where life’s greatest joy comes from.